David Frenchhttp://newsbusters.org/taxonomy/term/12598/0
enFCC Abandons Intrusive Media Survey That Never Even Got Underway in Test Markethttp://newsbusters.org/blogs/randy-hall/2014/02/24/fcc-abandons-intrusive-media-survey-never-got-underway-test-market
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>
According to <a href="http://www.nationalreview.com/article/371699/fcc-throws-towel-explosive-content-study-tim-cavanaugh">a report</a> by Tim Cavanaugh, news editor of National Review Online, the Federal Communications Commission <strong>&ldquo;has pulled the plug on its plan to conduct an intrusive probe of newsrooms&rdquo;</strong> as part of a &ldquo;Critical Information Needs&rdquo; survey of local media markets.</p>
<p>
FCC spokesperson Shannon Gilson issued<strong> </strong>a news release that indicated in the course of the commission&#39;s review and public comment, &ldquo;concerns were raised that some of the questions may not have been appropriate. Chairman [Tom] Wheeler agreed that survey questions in the study directed toward media outlet managers, news directors, and reporters overstepped the bounds of what is required&rdquo; for the pilot study in Columbia, South Carolina.</p>
</div></div></div>Tue, 25 Feb 2014 00:58:27 +0000Randy Hall66375 at http://newsbusters.orgHuffington Post Prints Woman’s Exaggerated Claims of Poverty, Refuses to Admit Errorhttp://newsbusters.org/blogs/randy-hall/2013/12/06/womans-online-claims-abject-poverty-article-went-viral-revealed-hoax
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>
<a href="http://killermartinis.kinja.com/why-i-make-terrible-decisions-or-poverty-thoughts-1450123558">An essay</a> posted in October by Linda Tirado entitled &ldquo;Why I Make Terrible Decisions, or, Poverty Thoughts&rdquo; describing her struggles as a woman with virtually no income <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/linda-tirado/why-poor-peoples-bad-decisions-make-perfect-sense_b_4326233.html">was picked up by the liberal Huffington Post</a> and then went viral, drawing more than four million people to read her claim that <strong>she is &ldquo;a poor person,&rdquo; and &ldquo;that is all I am or ever will be.&rdquo;</strong><br />
<br />
However, <a href="http://blogs.houstonpress.com/artattack/2013/11/that_viral_poverty_thoughts_es.php">an investigation</a> by Angelica Leicht for the Houston Press discovered that the blog post&rsquo;s author is a<strong> private-school-educated Democratic activist who wildly exaggerated her circumstances</strong>. She owns a home as the result of her parents&rsquo; generosity, has worked in politics since 2004 and has called herself a private political consultant since 2010.</p>
</div></div></div>Fri, 06 Dec 2013 10:01:06 +0000Randy Hall64913 at http://newsbusters.orgLA Times Gives IRS 'Some Love After Witch-Hunt'http://newsbusters.org/blogs/matt-vespa/2013/05/29/la-times-shows-irs-some-love-after-witch-hunt
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>
Does L.A. Times reporter Michael Hiltzik read the news?&nbsp; Apparently not, since he penned one of the most lapdog press-worthy articles praising the IRS to bubble to the surface in the wake of the news that it targeted conservative Americans.&nbsp; Hiltzik&rsquo;s column published in the<a href="http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-hiltzik-20130526,0,1884244.column"> May 25 Business section</a> labeled the targeting as &ldquo;supposed,&rdquo; noted that for a small budget &ndash; the IRS does a pretty &ldquo;good job.&rdquo;</p>
<p>
&ldquo;Showing some love after the &lsquo;witch-hunt,&rdquo; Hiltzik insinuates that the current fiasco is rather peripheral since the IRS has done such a great job collecting revenue throughout its history.&nbsp; He noted that the changes made back in the Clinton administration, which shifted the agency from enforcement to a greater focus on treating the taxpayers like customers, is the epicenter of the trouble caused two administrations later. Hiltzik also lamented a that the shift away from enforcement led to a &ldquo;brain drain&rdquo; within the agency, and that real criminals, tax evaders, were left to operate freely. As for the bipartisan outrage over the scandal, Hiltzik wrote:</p>
</div></div></div>Wed, 29 May 2013 20:43:23 +0000Matt Vespa60743 at http://newsbusters.org